Ahead of Jakarta-Bandung Derby: Erick Thohir Reminds of Kanjuruhan Legacy and Public Safety Lessons

On the evening of September 12, 2026, Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (SUGBK) in Jakarta will be the focal point of Southeast Asian football as Persija Jakarta host Persib Bandung in round two of the 2026-2027 Super League. A derby between Indonesia's two biggest clubs, with a rivalry spanning over half a century, should merely be a sporting event. But in reality, this match has been placed under maximum security surveillance by PSSI from the moment the fixture was announced. PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir has issued a public warning ahead of the match: he reminded all stakeholders of the Kanjuruhan tragedy on October 1, 2026, at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang — one of the most serious football disasters in modern history with approximately 135 fatalities. This reminder is not coincidental. For a former ministerial-level official and international businessman like Erick Thohir, his direct appearance before the media to address security for a club match demonstrates the severity PSSI is facing. The Persija-Persib derby is not simply a sporting competition. It is a microcosm of cultural and geographic confrontation between Jakarta, Indonesia's economic-political capital, and Bandung, the industrial capital of West Java. Persija fans call themselves The Jakmania, while Persib boasts the formidable Viking support base. These groups operate not only within their home cities — their expansion programs have spread throughout the greater eastern Jakarta metropolitan area, particularly the Bekasi region. This is why Bekasi Metro Resort Police have been included in the security coordination plan, detail showing counter-terrorism apparatus is being deployed under a multi-level model. Throughout 44 years of following football from Hamburg, I have witnessed many derbies deemed dangerous across Europe — Manchester derby, El Clásico, Derby della Madonnina — but in Indonesia, the risk factor carries a different dimension. It is not merely confrontation between two passionate supporter groups, but a direct consequence of a disaster not yet faded from collective memory. Kanjuruhan is not just the number 135. It is the gap between management decisions and human lives — a boundary any football federation must remember. PSSI and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) have announced a clear legal commitment: any act of violence, provocation, or public disorder within the match framework will be prosecuted under law. This is not a formal statement. With PSSI still in a credibility recovery phase after Kanjuruhan, any incident at SUGBK would place Erick Thohir's leadership directly in jeopardy. Therefore, his warning carries full political weight of someone securing the safety account for the entire system. A notable detail in the security plan is the direct coordination between The Jakmania Bekasi Raya and Viking Bekasi. This model — incorporating supporter groups into the security process rather than confronting them directly — represents a strategic shift from previous approaches. I call this the "embedded security" model, where supporter leaders become satellites of the system rather than surveillance subjects. If this model succeeds at the Jakarta-Bandung derby, it could become a precedent for the entire Super League. However, questions about feasibility must be raised. In reality, crowd pressure often exceeds the control of any supporter leader. Pre-match tension, particularly at gathering points like Bandung squares or Bekasi bars, can escalate from a single provocation. Police have committed to monitoring Persib "watch parties" in surrounding areas, but this requires significant resources amid ongoing Indonesian police staffing challenges. From a media perspective, this derby is being positioned through a safety lens rather than a professional lens. Major Indonesian publications, including VIVA as the source of this analysis, chose to report on Erick Thohir and Kanjyrinth rather than tactical analysis of both teams. This is a deliberate editorial choice: in today's Indonesian readers' eyes, a derby without disaster is more trustworthy than any spectacular goal. In other words, the success metric of this match lies not in the scoreboard but in the post-match news bulletin. Within less than a month after the match, the media system will face another flashpoint: October 1, 2026 marks the fourth anniversary of the Kanjuruhan tragedy. If the Jakarta-Bandung derby passes safely, PSSI will have compelling evidence for their reform strategy. Conversely, any incident would spread consequences throughout Indonesian football, directly affecting broadcast rights value, sponsor attraction, and public trust in the league. The question for the near future is: can PSSI's multi-level security model become a standard for the entire Southeast Asian region? As leagues like Vietnam's V-League, Thai League, or Malaysia Super League also face crowd management challenges, Jakarta's experience could become a case study. But the prerequisite is that tonight's derby must end without any fatalities or mass violence. SUGBK will be packed with fans. But what I am truly monitoring is not goals or cards. I am waiting for a system to prove that football can operate safely even when facing disaster aftershocks. If that happens, it will not merely be a victory for PSSI or Erick Thohir — it will be a victory for an industry that once lost 135 lives and can never be allowed to repeat the same mistake.